The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-09-02
Public Responsibility for Municipal Cor
ruption.

nocturnal transformation of Broadway
into railroad track began. There was
something comical in the general con
sternation and indignation as the great
street was swiftly torn up and the rails
laid and the work completed, while no
body seemed able to suggest any rem
edy or avoidance and if Jacob Sharp
had been conquering Timour the Tar
tar, apparently he could not have held
the city more absolutely in his power
Two years have passed, and the AL
dermen, the guardians of the city who
betrayed it, and Jacob Sharp, to whom
it was betrayed, have been tried, con-
victed, and punished as felons, except
those Aldermen who escaped and who
are now self-exiled for life. 1t is of
course shameful that such a conspiracy
was possible in the city so soon after
the Tweed frauds but it is also most
satisfactory that punishment has been
so swift and so sure. Jacob Sharp and
the Aldermen have been most Justly
punished. But they are not the origi-
nal and sole criminals. They were in
deed guilty of one of the worst crimes
in republlc--that, namely, of subvert-
ing the government by debauching it.
Jacob Sharp's offense was not the at
tempt in simple and pure political
community to buy public officers to aid
his selfish purposes but in a community
where legislation was notoriously for
sale he bought legislation.
For this situation public opinion is
largely responsible. How many citi-
zen otherwise intelligent has not con-
stantly thought and said for many a
year that nobody was more interested
in the government than office-holders
who were employed by it, and conse-
quently that nobody ought to be more
willing to pay political assessments for
election expenses This has been the
law laid down by party clubs and asso-
Citations until it has thoroughly confused
public opinion. Nominations for office
have been put up at auction to the
highest bidder. The price was paid in
the form of political assessment to
the party committee, and even judges
upon the bench have in this way paid
for their seats. The assessments upon
some of them have amounted to thou
sands of dollars. Men receiving nomi-
nations to the Assembly have been
made to pay great sums. Why7 and
with what understanding?
They are generally men totally unfit
for such public trusts, but peculiarly
fitted to the party tools. Their grade
of intelligence torbids the expectation
of public service, but it especially quail
fies them to be the unscrupulous agents
of party bosses. They are made to pay
heavily for nominations which are
equivalent to elections, because it is
understood that they will reimburse
themselves by selling their Legislative
votes. This is go generally understood
that when bill is introduced in the
Legislature which is known as ga
strike"-a bill, that is to say which
threatens great injury to private prop.
erty in the city-the property-holdert
do not depend upon their representa-
tives-their representatives are the
strikers they do not confide in the in.
telligence and honor of the Legislature
they have had too much experience
but they raise a purse and send ar
agent with it to defeat the bill. How
by buying the votes of Legislators.
In this condition of affairs Jacol
Sharp wishes to secure for himself ant
tor nothing, an exceedingly valuable
franchise which is at the disposition oi
the Aldermen. He knows that legis
lation may be bought at Albany, anG
he naturally infers that it is for sale a
the New York City Hall. He con
sequently selects his agents and make:
his purchase. He does what it Is no
torious that great and respectable cor
porations do, what political committee
and respectable politicians do. Fl,
soaps" the ways, and buys what h
wants. And why do the politician
and Jacob Sharp buyi Because of
situation produced by the theory tha
public Office is private plunder, theor,
which is maintained by the practice O
supporting parties and paying party ex
penses by assessing public officers, an'
which is constantly strengthened b,
sneers at all declarations and efforti
toward simple honesty and clean-hand
edness in politics as namby-pamby sen
timentallty, and affected dudism, and
Pharisaic assumption of superior virtue
The most vital import of all publ
questions at present is corruption i
governments corruption which i
largely due to the doctrine that publ
place is the proper spoils OF party
This principle, when applied to tn
whole subordinate body of administrs
ton, means simply that party work Q
any kind is to be rewarded by the pub
lie money. The venality of polite
necessarily follows, and the sale c
nominations, the corruption of election
and the bribery of legislators are tn
: logical consequences. Jacob Sharp
the type of this tendency and of its r
suit. He is text worth pondering-
and improving. - GEORGE VILLA
CURTIS, in Harper's Magazine fl
3 September.